Free to Play — Not Gambling

Moonshots Bingo is a game for fans of the Moonshots podcast, played for bragging rights and nothing else. This page explains why it isn't gambling, how scoring works, and what fair play means here. It forms part of our Terms of Use.

Free to play

• No payment of any kind. There is nothing to buy, no entry fee, no subscription and no in-game purchase. Every feature is free.
• Nothing at stake. You never put up money, or anything else of value, to play.
• No prizes. Top players appear on the leaderboard and the episode page, and winners can get a congratulations email. There are no cash prizes, gift cards, merchandise, crypto or rewards of any other kind.
• Points have no value. Points, ranks, wins and badges have no monetary value. They can't be bought, sold, traded, transferred or exchanged for anything.

Not gambling

Moonshots Bingo is entertainment. You predict what the panel will say on a public podcast, and you're scored on how well you did.

Gambling laws generally treat a game as gambling or a lottery only when it combines three things: a prize, an element of chance, and a payment or stake to take part. Predicting a podcast involves some luck, but the other two are missing here. Nobody pays or stakes anything to play, and nobody wins anything of value. So it isn't gambling, a lottery, a sweepstakes or a contest for prizes.

We don't operate, endorse or facilitate betting of any kind on the game, on the podcast or on anything the hosts say. Using the site to run or settle bets, wagers or paid contests with other people is against our Terms of Use, and we may end the accounts involved.

How scoring works

Each card is a 5×5 grid: 24 phrases the panel might say, around a free center square. Once the episode is out, your card is scored automatically against its captions or transcript.

• Rarer phrases are worth more. A tile's points depend on how rarely the panel has said it across recent episodes.
• Patterns earn bonuses. Completing a row, column, diagonal or the four corners adds a bonus, and filling the whole card (a blackout) adds a bigger one.
• Your House counts. Tiles linked to the host you back earn a small loyalty bonus.

Results are provisional for a review period (usually 72 hours), while errors can be corrected, and then become final. The home page and the About page say more about how the game works.

Fair play rules

• One account per person.
• No bots, scripts or other automation.
• No manipulating scores, results or leaderboards, including with extra accounts.

We may correct scores, remove results and end accounts that break these rules.

Need support?

If gambling is causing problems for you or someone you know, free and confidential help is available. In the US, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), or visit ncpgambling.org. Elsewhere, contact a local support service.